Help me stop my handbag obsession

TropicalGal

TropicalGal

Member
Jan 15, 2007
5,355
4
#1
Hi -- handbags are taking up too much of my life! When will I be sated? I always think, "this is the last one, this one will do the trick..." And then I see another one I simply must have. I spend too much time searching, reading on line. I want my life back. Any suggestions from your own personal experience? Thanks!
 
#2
Shallow Obsessing Strongly Encouraged here!!:nuts: :nuts: :nuts: Somehow, TropicalGal, I don't think you'll get too much help from the forum members, as we are all pretty much enablers at heart....
 
#3
I understand you, I sometimes think I'm going too far with my bag obsession. Are you an instinctive buyer? i can suggest you to go shopping with someone who doesn't share your passion for bags, and pray him/her to stop you whenever you want to buy a new one. You must set a $$ limit, and your "shopping angel" must remember you not to go over it, he/she must know your bag collection, so that you don't buy multiple bags in different colours or different bags with the same colour. And if you want you can do the "one in, one out" trick - everytime you buy a new bag, another one has to go away. Good luck
 
#4
Actually, I can tell you one little bit of advice that usually works for me, and it is pretty simple....live by the "one day" rule. Instead of immediately purchasing something that you simply can't live without, wait just "one day". If you feel the same way as you did when you immediately saw the item you had to have, then you at least had time to weigh the pros and cons before jumping right in and buying it right away. It works for me and has stopped me from making some very rash decisions about things I really didn't need. It's only one day.
 
#5
Compass Rose said:
Actually, I can tell you one little bit of advice that usually works for me, and it is pretty simple....live by the "one day" rule. Instead of immediately purchasing something that you simply can't live without, wait just "one day". If you feel the same way as you did when you immediately saw the item you had to have, then you at least had time to weigh the pros and cons before jumping right in and buying it right away. It works for me and has stopped me from making some very rash decisions about things I really didn't need. It's only one day.
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This is very good advice, it works for me too. before purchasing a new bag, open your closet, look if your new love would match your shoes and clothes. If the sincere answer is no, then don't buy it. if the answer is yes, look at all the other bags that lye in your closet: if you already have a similar bag you forgot to have, then give her a new life: that way you saved your money.
 
#8
haha, yes, you might be asking in the wrong place!

But in all honesty, maybe set aside some new rules for yourself? For example, if you're one to put an expensive purse on your credit card, say, "I can't buy a new purse until I can pay for it in cash." That's what I'm doing. You could make yourself have to sell (or give away) a purse before you're allowed to buy a new one. How often are you buying purses? You could set up a rule where you're allowed X number a year, and hold yourself to it. You could buy all of them in one month if you wanted to, but you'd have a pretty boring rest of the year.

Just things like that, I guess. It depends on your shopping habits and the purses you buy. I used to buy a lot of purses, but they were just cute, cheap ones I saw. I have since upped my standards, and now I don't find myself wanting as many (er, I shouldn't say wanting, but I haven't been seriously considering buying as many).
 
#9
Compass Rose said:
Actually, I can tell you one little bit of advice that usually works for me, and it is pretty simple....live by the "one day" rule. Instead of immediately purchasing something that you simply can't live without, wait just "one day". If you feel the same way as you did when you immediately saw the item you had to have, then you at least had time to weigh the pros and cons before jumping right in and buying it right away. It works for me and has stopped me from making some very rash decisions about things I really didn't need. It's only one day.
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For me it's just the opposite! If I leave the bag in the store, I spend the rest of the day obsessing that someone else is purchasing it and I MUST HAVE IT!! If I bring it home, I can calmly decide if I truly want it or not. Usually, I bring it back to the store with no regrets and am off to my next great hunt. Occasionally, I keep the bag, love the bag, and am still off to my next great hunt! But this doesn't answer the question of getting your life back. The only solution for that, which I haven't been able to yet, is GET AWAY FROM tPF AS QUICK AS POSSIBLE!!!!!
 
#10
I suppose most of us here have gone through what you now feel. I, myself, am going through abit of it right now as this is only my second month at the Forum.

All of the choices in front of our faces here is somewhat overwhelming and we think we NEED it all. And we constantly see new threads saying 'lovin' my new bag' and think we need to have a new one too.

The only piece of advice I can give you is this, set a strick budget for the month, quarter or whatever time frame works with your finances. Do not use credit cards to buy if that is a trouble spot for you, use only cash that you have set aside in an envelope for your bag.

And realize there really IS more to life than the hunt, the best deal, the next bag.

Put a new handbag in perspective......it is merely an object, a THING. Do not give this thing control of your life or of you.

And maybe the 'one day rule' should be extended to a week. *s
 
#14
Ladies -- thank you for your helpful replies. I came to this obsession late(r) in life...and so perhaps am trying to make up for lost time. I live a casual, tropical lifestyle of linens and cottons and jeans, so my clothes are not expensive; it's the handbag that IS the look. For instance, jeans, a t-shirt, and my LV Blue Epi Petit Noe... Or black pants & top with my Celine Boogie... My handbags empower and delight me. I have never had an obession before...so I am fascinated that I have become obessed! with my handbags! I just can't believe it! Perhaps another thing is that I live in a place where you can't buy anything. Do you know what "nothing" means? Zero. Nada. Nor can I have things mailed to me here in Mexico. So, I shop online and save up my purchases for when I visit the States. I like the idea of buying it, taking it home and "having" it, but then returning it. I've owned several handbags this way and sated myself. Like I thought I wanted a Mulberry Roxanne, but after I owned it for 5 minutes, I was thrilled to return it. Anyway, y'all are swell! Thanks!
 
#15
Hi TropicalGal,

I've been to Merida, so I know what you mean about not buying anything there. :P

For me, the hunt is the obsession. I am always searching for the "perfect" bag, which of course doesn't exist. Once I get the bag, I like it, but I am on to hunt the next one down. I consider this my equivilent to a guy who chases a lot of women and moves on to the next one once he has gone to bed with his latest conquest. :feminist: It is the chase that interests him, not the girl. I look at it this way, if I wasn't obsessing about bags, I would be obsessing about guys, or work or something far less interesting. :supacool: I try not to put my bags on credit cards, so my obsession is just cutting into my spending money.

I understand what you feel and believe me, you are in good company here.

TropicalGal said:
Ladies -- thank you for your helpful replies. I came to this obsession late(r) in life...and so perhaps am trying to make up for lost time. I live a casual, tropical lifestyle of linens and cottons and jeans, so my clothes are not expensive; it's the handbag that IS the look. For instance, jeans, a t-shirt, and my LV Blue Epi Petit Noe... Or black pants & top with my Celine Boogie... My handbags empower and delight me. I have never had an obession before...so I am fascinated that I have become obessed! with my handbags! I just can't believe it! Perhaps another thing is that I live in a place where you can't buy anything. Do you know what "nothing" means? Zero. Nada. Nor can I have things mailed to me here in Mexico. So, I shop online and save up my purchases for when I visit the States. I like the idea of buying it, taking it home and "having" it, but then returning it. I've owned several handbags this way and sated myself. Like I thought I wanted a Mulberry Roxanne, but after I owned it for 5 minutes, I was thrilled to return it. Anyway, y'all are swell! Thanks!
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